This randomized wait-list control study examined the impact of the Learn to Breathe mindfulness training curriculum on mental health and emotional outcomes in a sample of 145 Asian and Latino ninth-grade students attending an an urban school district serving primarily low income families. Pre-post assessments included self-reports on standardized instruments measuring stress, youth behavior problems, and emotional regulation and coping strategies at three time points, pre-intervention, post intervention and 3 months follow-up. Findings showed significant immediate improvements due to this curriculum on internalizing problems, perceived stress and rumination as well as strategies related to cognitive reappraisal, emotional processing and expression. Furthermore, youth showed improvement on all measures with comparison across time, though smallest effect sizes occurred for attention problems. Meditational analyses that were conducted suggested that improvements in youth’s internalizing problems and stress occurred due to the reduction in expressive suppression and rumination. Mindfulness training appears to facilitate youth’s capacity to engage in healthier patterns of relating to one's’ emotions and experience, and hence, greater emotional regulation and well-being. This study is important in that it is one of the few empirical studies to identify specific factors through which mindfulness training affects emotional well-being in youth.

Yoga Calm for Children,by Lynea and James Gillen, is a wonderful resource for anyone concerned about fostering the emotional and physical well-being and academic learning in children and youth. This book describes a unique educational program that combines the practice of physical yoga and social-emotional skill-building. It includes more than 60 specially designed classroom and therapeutic activities: yoga-based movement, breath work, relaxation, and social-emotional learning and storytelling activities. Each activity is clearly explained and, in the case of yoga practices, accompanied by pictures. In addition, the book specifies different ways the activities can be combined into five-to-forty minute lesson plans for a range of ages, abilities and populations. Personal stories drawn from Lynea's thirty years of classroom teaching, counseling and implementing this program add to the richness and the usefulness of this material.

My name is Cindy Kaump. As an 8th grade English teacher, I constantly see students who feel stressed, worried, or unfocused. In January, members of MC4ME came to my district to help us bring mindfulness into the classroom. It was like two parts of my life were coming together, since I’ve been an educator for nine years, and practiced yoga for just as long. One of my favorite benefits of yoga has been the practice mindfulness. Mindfulness helps me not worry about things I can’t control, in my past, or in the future. I find my focus is better, and I’m a better listener because of my practice, so of course I thought I should teach mindfulness to my students!

Like any new routine, I first talked about it with my students, giving examples about how being mindful can help them in their life in and out of school. We did the first few mindfulness exercises before tests, with the context of focusing their mind and letting go of stress. After trying a few mindfulness practices, my students reflected on what seemed to help them the most. Some said they like to hold or fidget with something and focus their attention on that, while others like to move mindfully to settle their mind.

Going forward I’d like to incorporate mindfulness practices into my classroom more often. I want to provide my students with what they need in order to get into the right mindset for school, so I’ve created a Donors Choose project to help me create Mindfulness Kits for my classroom. In these kits, I hope will be materials that inspire students to be mindful and de-stress. I imagine students will take these kits into the hall or our team room to meditate or use any materials in the kit that speaks to them in the moment to help them feel ready to learn. I want my students to become more aware of their mindset, thoughts, and actions so they can recognize these inter-connections. Hopefully this will encourage them to create habits and take actions that make them feel good and let go of what makes them feel bad.

Planning has begun to bring IBme (Inward Bound Mindfulness Education) to teens in Michigan during the summer of 2019. Steve Norman, a mindfulness trainer who has attended several of our trainings in the past, is spearheading this effort. He is interested to locate teens who practice mindfulness and want to get involved in the planning of this teen retreat. He also needs assistance in finding a location. Please email him at ksnriver@comcast.net if you know of teens who may want to get involved or if you work with teens and want to help.

Daniel guided 40 of us over the day and half workshop in nourishing our own personal practice and learning a variety of playful mindful and compassionate teaching activities to use in the classroom. Participants greatly appreciated the wisdom Daniel brought to bear on sensitive questions as well as the rich discussions we had related to trauma, racial bias and inequity. Following the training, we discovered that Michigan will be represented in the inaugural year long training program that Daniel and other mindfulness faculty are launching to develop transformational school leadership. We are aware that at least two participants from this workshop were accepted into the program!

On August 23rd at the Michigan League in Ann Arbor, MC4ME will be inviting community and school personnel to gather and share information about how mindfulness is growing and how MC4ME can be of better service to meet statewide needs. We hope this meeting helps us discover ways to support and expand mindfulness capacity in our school communities, perhaps launching local, regional and statewide community networks of practice. We hope you will join us. Further Information will be forthcoming mid-June.​